Subscribe to continue reading
Subscribe to get access to the rest of this post and other subscriber-only content.
Rhubarb Custard Crumb Pie
crumb topping
Blueberry Tartlets in Flat Bottom Tartlet Pans
Blueberries still rule my fruit universe right now; they’re fairly plentiful and always sweet. The flavor can’t be beat. My guy loves them, and I have to agree; they are the tastiest and healthiest fruit. I am in love with these tartlets. The crust to fruit ratio is perfect and I made them with a minimum of sugar as these ripe berries are already quite sweet. I got my fruit at Aldi’s for a great price; every grocery store has blueberries by the pint. They are very good for your body, full of fiber, low in sugar, and full of other nutrients. They are especially you have blood sugar issues. See http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/287710.php for more information.
Tips: Try not to bake in a hot kitchen; it makes it hard to roll out dough or even make the crumb mix. If it gets above 76 degrees, you should turn on the air to keep your crust from acting weird. I had to put mine in the freezer for a bit to help it hold the desired shape.
Don’t eat these tartlets fresh from the oven; they should be cooled to just warm or room temperature or even a bit chilled. They were perfect, just like a big pie only tiny each is one individual dessert. You could certainly serve them with vanilla ice cream. We had them that way last summer and that was a treat indeed.
My apologies: these pictures were taken in a hurry; hot day and there was no spare time so they are looking rustic and crumbs dot the baking pan but frankly rustic tartlets are lovely. Be as tidy as fits your needs.
Angie’s GF Blueberry Crumb Tartlets: makes 5
CRUST:
1 cup gf flour (King Arthur basic gf blend)
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp. xanthan gum
5 Tbsp. cold butter
1 tsp. vanilla
You will need 5 flat bottom 4-inch tartlet pans if you make them all at once. My pans are 4 in an attached group. I baked 4 one day and 1 the next day
Mix dry ingredients in bowl of stand electric mixer. Add butter and mix until crumbly and resembling coarse meal. Add vanilla. Mix briefly
Filling:
2 1/3 cups fresh blueberries, place in medium bowl. Mix with:
6 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. quick tapioca
¼ tsp. cinnamon
Let stand while you prepare the crumb crust. This is important so the tapioca can soften and absorb some juices before baking. If you like things tart add a tsp or two of fresh lemon juice to the berries.
Tartlet construction: dump in crumbs and press in the crust to fill each of the 4 tartlet shapes with no holes or thin spots. Do the same to create 1 more tartlet crust. If you only have one pan you can refrigerate the dough and make the other tartlet later. Fill each tartlet with fruit mixture to the top of the dough… after you have the crumb topping ready to go.
Crumb topping
Put all four ingredients in the same mixing bowl you made the bottom crust in and mix well with mixer paddle until crumbs form. If you let them spin extra-long you get big fat crumbs if you want that look.
¾ c brown rice flour mix
½ c sugar
½ tsp xanthan gum
1/3 c cold butter cut into six chunks
Sprinkle the top of each tartlet with crumb mix; use as much as you like. I didn’t measure; just sprinkled until the fruit was barely visible through the crumbs. Up to your personal taste… It sinks partially into the fruit mixture and adds lots of sweetness and eye appeal.
Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and the crumb crust is light brown. Cool at least a half hour before serving at room temperature. I think it is best served the same day you make it, or no more then 12 hours after baking for optimal flavor. The crumbs will get soggy if too much time passes. Mine was still very good the next day; just not as great as when really fresh.
Note: if you find your bottom crust is not browning enough bake it empty at 375 degrees for 5-8 minutes before filling it with the fruit.
Brown Rice Flour Mix (Same as King Arthur GF All-purpose blend)
2 c brown rice flour
2/3 c potato starch – Not potato flour
1/3 c tapioca flour
Note: the crust and crumb recipe are out of Annalise Roberts cookbook, Gluten Free Baking Classics, Second Edition. Adaptation and filling recipe are mine. Originally posted summer of 2017. No changes made to recipe.
Perfect Peach Pie
Peach season is right now so find some ripe juicy peaches and whip up a delicious gluten free peach pie. Orchard peaches would be the best choice although I have had some pretty good ones from Aldi’s and from Giant. I have some I got last weekend at an orchard last weekend. This is an easy pie to create. Slice and dump together the filling, crumb topping made in unwashed mixer bowl you used for creating the bottom crust. You can store any leftover crumb mixture in a sealed container in the fridge; it keeps a few weeks. Sometimes I let the mix spin in the stand mixer for extra big crumbs for this pie; love that look. If you prefer a solid crust just double the crust part and top your pie with it. Be sure to cut some slits for steam escape! I think a lattice crust would be fantastic, if a bit more time consuming to construct.
Please make every effort to use local fruit; can get peaches at orchards like Bechdolt’s near Springtown, at most farm stands and at farmer’s markets; one on Saturdays in Easton or Sunday’s in Hellertown. This pie really showcases great tasting peaches. If you use lousy peaches your pie will be lack luster. But, here’s the issue I want you to think about: store peaches can become quite poor in flavor and texture due to improper chilling during transport or storage so I strongly suggest you get locally grown, nearly ripe peaches to make your pie. I love when they have a pink blush; it makes the pie so pretty and perhaps even tastier! You might have to let them ripen a bit so plan ahead and buy them a few days before you want to make that spectacular late summer peach pie.
Some peaches I bought at Bechdolts’ Orchard
To peel peaches for a pie (and you really must peel them); heat 3 inches of plain water, drop the peaches gently in 4-5 at a time and cook them 2-3 minutes. Use the lesser time for more ripe peaches. Allow to cool somewhat before peeling. I like to do that over a bowl to catch the juices as I slice each peach.
Bake and enjoy late summer in a pie in just a few minutes of work. Don’t eat it hot; it should be cooled to just warm if you like it so or room temperature or even a bit chilled. You could certainly serve this with vanilla ice cream. And this pie works perfectly with fresh nectarines, bonus: no peeling required!
GF Peach Crumb Pie
Crust:
1 c plus 2 tbsp brown rice flour mix (at bottom of recipe)
2 Tbsp. sweet rice flour
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
½ tsp xanthan gum
¼ tsp salt
6 Tbsp. cold butter cut into 6 chunks
1 large egg
2 tsp fresh orange or lemon juice
Spray 9 inch metal pie pan with cooking spray, dust with white rice flour. I forget to do that most of the time so you can too!
Mix dry ingredients in bowl of stand electric mixer. Add butter and mix until crumbly and resembling coarse meal. Add egg and juice. Mix until it comes together into big chunks. Shape into a ball with your hands. Put it on a crust sized piece of wax paper (14 x 14 inches more or less), flatten the crust ball some; put on top of it another piece of wax paper and chill it all in your fridge 15-20 minutes while you prepare the filling. The warmer your kitchen the better chilled your crust dough should be or it will surely stick to the paper/plastic.
Filling:
6 cups sliced fresh peaches, peeled and cut in thick slices, place in medium bowl
Mix with:
½ cup sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup quick tapioca
Mix and stir in 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice and ¼ tsp. almond extract *(optional but it does add great flavor)
Let stand while you prepare the crust.
Roll out pie crust in a pie bag or between the two sheets of wax paper, try to get the thickness even, no thick middle! Peel off one side of paper and place in pie pan, centered. Remove other slice of wax paper. Crimp edges all around. Fill with fruit mixture.
Crumb topping
Put all four ingredients in the same mixing bowl you made the bottom crust in and mix well with mixer paddle until crumbs form. If you let them go extra long you get big fat crumbs if you want that look and I did!
¾ c brown rice flour mix
½ c sugar
½ tsp xanthan gum
1/3 c cold butter cut into six chunks
Sprinkle the top of the pie with crumb mix; use as much as you like. I like about a heaping cup of the mixture. Up to your personal taste… It sinks partially into the fruit mixture and adds lots of sweetness and eye appeal.
Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 45-50 minutes until bubbly and the crumb crust is light brown. Cool at least 1 to 4 hours before serving at room temperature. I think it is best served the same day you make it, or no more then 12 hours after baking for optimal flavor. The crumbs will get soggy if too much time passes. Mine was still very good the next day; just not as great as when really fresh. I would store leftover pie in the fridge if it’s a hot day.
Note: if you find your bottom crust is not browning enough bake it empty at 375 degrees for ten minutes before filling it with the fruit. I bake mine on the lowest shelf of my oven so I don’t ever have pale pie crust.
Brown Rice Flour Mix (Same as King Arthur GF All-purpose blend)
2 c brown rice flour (finely ground)
2/3 c potato starch – Not potato flour!
1/3 c tapioca flour
Note: the crust and crumb recipe are out of Annalise Roberts cookbook, Gluten Free Baking Classics, Second Edition. Adaptation and filling recipe are mine. This blog post was originally published in August 2014.
Blueberry Rhubarb Custard Pie
Surprisingly blueberries and rhubarb really do go together so well. Blueberries are delicious: with cereal and milk, in cream or baked in a cobbler or a fruity crisp. Rhubarb is called the pie plant for good reason; it makes a lovely pie from a humble plant stem. But this, this is my current obsession, the two together in a custard pie. Not just any old custard but one made with Greek yogurt and eggs. Easy to throw together, creamy, never runny textured and a lusciously fruity flavor that may make you have to eat a second slice! The blueberries do tend to take over the rhubarb flavor of this pie. Of course, there are more than twice as many blueberries by volume, and they are just a stronger flavor than rhubarb which gives a bit of a tart under taste to this pie. You could play with the proportions of the two fruits; this is the amounts which I used. This pie will be tasty to even the biggest rhubarb dissenter. Really!
WARNING: This pie goes soft in 2 humid days so plan to gobble it down within that time frame or face the soggy crust syndrome. Inevitable with gf crust and a custard filling in hot/humid weather.
I don’t recommend frozen or canned fruit for this pie, simply not good enough and you must use plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt in the filling, plain yogurt is too runny. And no, it can’t be made without the eggs it just wouldn’t work as a custard if there are no eggs. The version with peaches uses 3 yolks in there. I tried it with two whole eggs beaten up: success! And one last warning; applicable to 100 percent of my recipes: Please don’t try it with Measure for Measure gf flour; this is calibrated for using King Arthur’s Basic GF Blend.
I hope you give it a try; super easy and super delicious. Best pie of the summer hands down! Make one Saturday morning…we couldn’t wait for a slice still faintly warm……. I thought I took a picture of a slice; no luck there and it is all gone. Next time! It does look pretty much like the blueberry peach custard pie I posted last summer.
Angie’s Blueberry and Rhubarb Custard Crumb Pie
CRUST:
1 c plus 2 tbsp brown rice flour mix (at bottom of recipe)
2 tbsp sweet rice flour
1 Tbps granulated sugar
½ tsp xanthan gum
¼ tsp salt
6 Tbps cold butter cut into 6 chunks
1 large egg
2 tsp fresh orange or lemon juice
Spray 9 or 10 inch metal pie pan with cooking spray, dust with white rice flour.
Mix dry ingredients in bowl of stand electric mixer. Add butter and mix until crumbly and resembling coarse meal. Add egg and juice. Mix until it comes together into big chunks. Shape into a ball with your hands. Put it on a crust sized piece of wax paper (14 x 14 inches more or less), flatten the crust ball some; put on top of it another piece of wax paper and chill it all in your fridge 15-20 minutes while you prepare the filling.
Filling:
2-3 cups sliced fresh rhubarb cut in half inch slices (2 cups if 9 inch pie, 3 cups for 10 inch pie)
4 cups blueberries; rinsed
2/3 cup sugar, sweeter if you like it that way or if peaches are not fully ripe
2 Tbsp. tapioca starch
Mix in a medium bowl the following ingredients:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt, I prefer whole milk, and let it warm up a bit
2 whole large eggs or 3 egg yolks, close to room temp.
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp. brown rice mixture flour (King Arthur Basic GF blend)
Crumb topping
¾ c brown rice flour mix (King Arthur Basic GF Blend)
½ c sugar
½ tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c cold butter cut into six chunks
Put all five ingredients in the same mixing bowl you made the bottom crust in and mix well with mixer paddle until crumbs form.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Directions: Turn oven on to 400 degrees. Put the oven rack on the closest to the bottom shelf position. Once the crust is chilled some but not hard, Roll it out and fit into the pie shell. Trim off excess crust. I like to chill those crumbs of crust and roll out to make a jam filled hand pie. Anyway, put the sliced rhubarb and blueberries in a bowl and add the sugar and tapioca. Let stand 5 minutes. Then pour into the pie shell in a fairly even layer, as the filling and crumbs will hide it there is no need for a pretty design. Then pour the filling that you just mixed up over it , tap the pie on the counter sharply 2-3 times to settle in the filling and bake for 25-30 minutes. I turned down my oven to 375 after 15 to 20 minutes. While it bakes those 25-30 minutes make the crumbs. When your timer goes off, carefully remove the pie from the oven and sprinkle the top of the pie with crumb mix; I used about 3/4 of it but you could use a bit less if you don’t want a thick crumb layer or all of it for a really heavy crumb. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes until crumbs are lightly browned. Let stand at least 1 to 11/2 hours before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
First published in 2022, minor revisions to text, recipe the same.
Rhubarb Custard Crumb Pie
This is my favorite rhubarb pie and my go to recipe for a great spring dessert.
This is an easy pie even though it has several steps. It is different from the usual rhubarb pie because the texture is a bit closer to a crumb cake, no wet, slimy texture and no ultra sour flavor. I think this version tastes even better than it did when I made it with wheat-based flour. This GF crust will work for any pie and the GF crumb topping is perfect for any crumb pie topper. What I am giving you is my mixture of three recipes with some small modifications over time to create one of my favorite GF pie recipes. I know it has several steps, but each one is easy, and you can use these crust and crumb recipes for other pies.
I like it because it has a great texture, and the flavor is complex but subtly rhubarby. It isn’t really soft or all that custardy but more cake-like in texture. It is a game changer of a rhubarb pie. I promise you that!
Angie’s GF Rhubarb Custard Pie
Crust:
1 c plus 1 tbsp brown rice flour mix (recipe for blend at bottom of pie recipe)
2 tbsp sweet rice flour
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
½ tsp xanthan gum
¼ tsp salt
6 Tbsp. cold butter cut into 6 chunks
1 lg egg
2 tsp fresh orange or lemon juice
——————
Spray a 9-inch metal pie pan with cooking spray, dust with white rice flour. I must confess I forget this step a lot of the time and it doesn’t seem to matter much….
Mix dry ingredients in bowl of stand electric mixer. Add butter and mix until crumbly and resembling coarse meal. Add egg and juice. Do not leave out the juice; it is critical to the crust texture and structure! Mix until it comes together into big chunks. Shape the sticky mess into a ball with your hands. Put it on a crust sized piece of wax paper (14 x 14 inches more or less), flatten the crust ball some; put on top of it another piece of wax paper and chill it all in your fridge 15-20 minutes while you chop the rhubarb into ½ inch chunks.
And make the crumbs while the crust ball chills:
Crumb topping
Put all four ingredients in the same mixing bowl you made the bottom crust in and mix well with mixer paddle until crumbs form.
¾ c brown rice flour mix
½ c sugar
½ tsp xanthan gum
1/3 c cold butter cut into six chunks
Make the fruit Filling:
5 cups cut up fresh rhubarb – place in medium bowl
Mix with dry mix made of
2/3 – 1 c sugar (depends on how sweet you like your pie) I generally go with 2/3 cup
¼ c brown rice flour mix (see below recipe)
½ tsp nutmeg
Sprinkle cinnamon
Rolling out the bottom crust: My sister bought me one of those pie crust plastic bag thingies; has a zipper around the edge. By OXO: I love it; it works better than wax paper which can get soft and tear as you roll out the crust. King Arthur Flour sells an inexpensive one on line. I highly recommend you get the OXO version for making scratch pie crust. Or maybe improvise with a sheet of heavy duty plastic! Strong enough to work with the rolling pin and better than wax paper.
Roll out pie crust in a pie bag or between the two sheets of wax paper, try to get the thickness even, no thick middle! Peel off one side of paper and place in pie pan, centered. Remove other slice of wax paper. Crimp edges all around. Fill with dry rhubarb mix. Pour the following wet mix evenly over this mixture: Wet mix: 3 eggs (171 grams) beaten lightly with 1/3 c milk (not skim), and ¼ tsp almond extract.
Sprinkle the top of the pie with the crumb mix; use as much as you like. I like about 2/3-3/4 of the mixture. Up to your personal taste… It sinks into the rhubarb and wet mixture to create an almost cake like texture and the crumb crust adds lots of sweetness and eye appeal.
Bake on the bottom shelf in a preheated 375-degree oven for 55-60 minutes until bubbly and the crust is light brown. Cool at least 2 to 4 hours before serving at room temperature.
Brown Rice Flour Mix (same as King Arthur’s Basic GF Blend) [Not Measure for Measure or baking mix]
2 c brown rice flour
2/3 c potato starch
1/3 c tapioca flour
This post was originally published in the late spring of 2013. I revised it somewhat since then. I have made this pie many times in past years to rave reviews. One of my friends had it for dessert at my house and said it was the best pie she had ever eaten, gluten free or not! Spring is rhubarb season. Go forth and make pie!
My World Without Wheat 